Printing machine ink pump



April 4, 1961 c. A. HARLESS PRINTING MACHINE INK PUMP 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 3, 1958 INVENTOR %Z.%%z.w

; ZTTORNEYS April 4, 1961 c. A. HARLESS PRINTING MACHINE INK PUMP FiledMarch 3, 1958 INVENTOR 0447 d M ATFORNEYJ 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Thisinvention relates to printing machine ink pumps.

1 ,More particularly, the invention is concerned with ink pumps of thetype disclosed in prior Lamatsch Patent 2,360,502 and Stobb Patent2,469,796 and in which ink is pumped in measured quantities by a numberof pistons, generally one such piston being provided. for each column,and is supplied to the initial ink drum of. an ink motion, means beingprovided for supplying ink of different col- .orsto the various columnsor pages.

The general object of thepresent invention is to provide an improvedcompartmented pump of the type specified together with means forregulating and changing the supply of ink. 1

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a vertical section (on line 1-1 of Fig. 2), ofa pump embodying the invention in .a preferred form and Fig. 2 is anenlarged vertical section on the lines 2A, 2B and 2C of Fig. 1. r

The pump comprises a housing composed of a wall casting 10, bottom plate11 and four separate top cover members ,12, and may be mounted on amachine frame element such as machine housing wall 13 in convenientrelation to the ink motion. The housing is divided by internal walls 14into four compartments A, B, C and D, each containing a pumpingmechanism as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This mechanism includes, for eachcompartment, a set of pistons 20, each having a stroke regulating screw21, a piston supporting and reciprocating member 22 and an eccentricdrive shaft 23, all these parts being carried by the cover 12 orsupported therefrom by a frame structure 24. Cooperating with thepistons are a cylinder plate 25 and valve plate 26, carried by thebottom 11 and discharging ink through connections 27 to the tubes (notshown) which connect to the ink rail. Pins 28 locate the cylinder plate25 with reference to the piston carrying member 22. This pumpingmechanism for each compartment is like that shown in Harless applicationSerial No. 565,950, filed February 16, 1956, now abandoned, for InkPumps for Printing Presses, and will not be further described herein,beyond noting that the entire mechanism for each compartment can beremoved bodily with the cover 12, except for cylinder and valve plates25, 26, thus facilitating ready cleaning and change of ink.

Each compartment A, etc. has a vertical drive shaft 30, which isrotatably journaled in the side wall casting 10 and drives eccentricshaft 23 by means of a gear pair 31. Surmounting the housing and overthe various shafts 30 is a gear housing 32 containing the drive gearsand clutches as later described. This housing has four generallyrectangular sections separated by partition walls 33 and each of theshafts 30 carries a horizontal bevel gear 34 rotatably supported at itstop by a bearing member 35 and releasably coupled to the shaft by clutchplate 36 carrying pins 37 which enter into recesses in the back of gear34 in the position of Fig. 1 and are held in that position by a spring38. A clutch operating member 39 rotatably carried in the housing 32 hasan eccentric projection 40 positioned for engaging in clutch plate 36and is formed with a hexagonal recess or socket 41 to permit Uni W Pa e2,977,875 Patented Apr. 4,1964

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turning from outside the gear housing with the usual Allen wrench. Aswill be apparent from Fig. 1, turning the member .39 through about halfa turn will press clutch plate 36, disengaging pins 37 in back of thegear 34 and permitting the gear 34 to rotate idly on the shaft 30. Thepump drive may be taken into the gear housing above any of thecompartments A-D which is found convenient in the particular machine andin the case chosen for illustration it is so taken into in compartmentB. A horizontal drive shaft 42 is carried in bearings 43 in the gearhousing 32 as shown and rotatably supports two bevel gears 44 and 45,which are constantly in mesh with the which may be turned by means of awrench from outside the housing. In the position shown in Fig. 1, themember 46 occupies a central position so that the drive shaft 42 iscompletely disengaged from the ink pump. By

turning the member 49 in one direction, the member 46 will be slid tothe left engaging cooperating clutch member 44', thus coupling the driveshaft 42 through bevel gear 44 to the bevel gear 34 previously referredto. Turning member 49 in the opposite direction will engage the shaft 42with bevel gear 45, thus rotating gear 34 in the.

reverse direction. This permits running the ink pump in the samedirection of rotation when the printing machine direction of rotation isreversed, as is common in various color printing arrangements. Shaft 42is coupled to a cylinder of the printing machine or ink motion by meansof gearing 50, 51, in a convenient manner.

Each of the gear housing compartments between the partitions 33previously referred to, contain similar wall structures, but theopenings for the passage of the drive shaft 42 through thesecompartments are closed off by suitable cover plates such as the plates52 in Fig. 2. A drive shaft 53 journaled in the partition wall 33 andend wall of the housing 32 passes through the gear housing overcompartment A and the horizontal drive shaft 54 similarly journaledpasses through the gear housing over compartments C and D, the shafts 53and 54 being driven by bevel gears 55 and 56 from the gear 34 overcompartment B, previously referred to. Each gear housing compartmentover the compartments A, C and D contains a bevel gear 57 fixed to shaft53 or 54 as the case may be and positioned for driving associated gear34 in the same direction as the gear 34 over compartment B.

Each compartment is provided with an individual in inlet fitting 60 anddischarge fitting 61 permitting the adding and removal of ink orcirculation of ink if desired, since each compartment has its own inletand outlet, the various compartments may be filled with differentcolcred inks for color printing. The mechanism is also provided with amanifold 63 for supplying ink through ports 64 to all compartmentssimultaneously and this manifold is rotatable in a bore 65 in the wallcasting 11 so as to permit turning it to close off the port 64 orregulating the efiective size of-their opening. A diaphragm 66 to whichis coupled the operating member 67 of a micro-switch 68 is also providedand this mechanism may be set so as to maintain a desired level of inkwithin the pumping mechanism as measured by the weight thereof on thediaphragm and controlled by regulating the action of a pump or other inksupplying mechanism accordingly.

What is claimed is:

1. Ink pumping mechanism comprising a reservoir hav- I 3 inginternalpartitions defining a plurality of aligned compartments, an ink pumpingmechanism within each said compartment and comprising a vertical driveshaft extending upwardly above the compartment, a gear housi'ng having aplurality ofcorresponding partitions defining a plurality ofcorresponding compartments and means attaching the same tothe-reservoir. for receiving the upper ends of the said'verticalshaftswithin the said gear housing compartments, a bevel gear carried by eachsaid vertical drive shaft at its upper end and within a said gearhousing compartment, shafting extending along the said line ofcompartments through the partitions in the said gear housing andcarrying bevel gears meshing with the first said bevel gears for drivingthe said vertical shafts, a drive shaft at right angles to the last saidshafting and to the said vertical shaft, oppositely facing bevel; gearsrotatably carried by the last saiddrive shaftand' meshingwith one ofthebevel gears carried by the vertical drive shafts for driving the inkpumping mechanisms, and a clutch mechanism for selectively coupling thetwo said bevel gears carried by the last said drive shaft to the saiddrive shaft for selectively driving the ink pumping mechanism in aforward direction and reverse direction with respect to the last; saiddrive shaft.

2. Ink pumping mechanism comprising a reservoir having internalpartitions defining a plurality of aligned compartments, an ink pumpingmechanism within each said compartment and comprising a vertical driveshaft extending upwardly above the compartment, a gear housing having aplurality of corresponding partitions defining a plurality ofcorresponding compartments and means attaching the sameto the reservoirfor receiving the upper ends of the said vertical shafts within the saidgear housing compartments, a bevel gear rotatably carried by each saidvertical drive shaft at its upper end and within a said gear housingcompartment, clutch mechanism for coupling the said bevel gear to itssaid vertical drive shaft for driving the same and uncoupling it forsilencing the pumping mechanism within the corresponding reservoircompartment, shafting extending along the said line of compartmentsthrough the partitions in the said gear housing and carrying bevel gearsmeshing with the first said bevel gears for driving the said verticalshafts, a drive shaft at right angles to the last said shafting and tothe said vertical shaft, and a bevel gear carried by the last said driveshaft and meshing with one of'the bevel gears carried by the verticaldrive shafts for driving the ink pumping mechanisms.

-3. Ink pumping mechanism according to claim 2, comprising also a secondbevel gear carried by the last mentioned drive shaft and also meshingwith the same bevel gear. carried by a vertical drive shaft, and clutchmeans for selectively connecting and disconnecting the two said bevelgearsv carried by the last mentioned drive shaft thereto and therefrom.

References Cited in thefile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,978,285 Smith; Oct. 23, 1934 1,988,454 Lamatsch Jan. 22, 19352,039,992 Harold May 5, 1936 2,170,025 Jordhoy Aug. 22, 1939 2,360,502Lamatsch Oct. 17, 1944 2,392,558. Souche Jan. 8, 1946 2,444,656 LamatschJuly 6, 1948 2,622,523: Dressel et al. Dec. 23, 1952 2,866,411 Reed eta1. Dec. 30, 1958

